The Philippines

Trump’s Admiration For Presidents Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, And William McKinley! :(

Ronald 27 Comments

Donald Trump has demonstrated a fixation with three past Presidents–Andrew Jackson (1829-1837); James K. Polk (1845-1849); and William McKinley (1897-1901).

All three of these Presidents had accomplishments worthy of being recalled, but all three also had major shortcomings.

Jackson is rated number 21; McKinley number 24; and Polk number 25 in the American Political Science Association Survey in 2024.

Jackson fell 12 points in rank; McKinley 3 points in rank; and Polk 6 points in rank from nearly a decade earlier, in 2015.

In the last C Span Presidential Survey in 2021, Jackson was number 22, down from 18 and 13 in earlier rankings

McKinley was number 14, up from 16 and 15 in earlier rankings.

Polk was number 18, down from 14 and 12 in earlier rankings.

Jackson has had major problems in historical rankings with growing recognition of the “Trail of Tears”, the forcible removal of five Indian tribes from the South to Oklahoma in the 1830s. Also, Jackson was a vehement supporter of slavery, and worked to prevent abolitionists from being able to send their antislavery literature through the US Mail system. The corrupt spoils system began under him, and he was infamous for his terrible temper and killing of a number of people through gun duels. And yet, Donald Trump admires him, and promoted him in the Oval Office during his first Presidential term.

Now, in his second term, Trump has promoted James K. Polk, whose imperialistic bent, “Manifest Destiny” led to more gaining of territory than anyone except Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase. War with Mexico added the whole Southwest, and a treaty with Great Britain divided the Pacific Northwest between Canada and the United States. And Polk promoted slavery, and like Jackson, owned hundreds of slaves

Also, William McKinley has fasinated Donald Trump, with his McKinley Tariff in 1890, when McKinley was in Congress, which led to the “Panic of 1893”, the worst economic downturn until that time frame. And then, McKinley promoted going to war with Spain (Spanish American War), with the US gaining the Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico, a sphere of influence over Cuba, and separately, annexation of the Hawaiian Islands. So McKinley, just like Polk, was a clearcut imperialist.

Trump and his fixation with tariffs finds McKinley fascinating, despite the truth of the Panic of 1893, and both Polk and McKinley and their imperialistic bent fascinate Trump, with his stated interest in taking back the Panama Canal; making Canada the 51st state; taking Greenland away from Denmark; and wanting US involvement in the Gaza Strip.

Donald Trump “Worship” Of Andrew Jackson And WIlliam McKinley!

Ronald 15 Comments

Donald Trump has, through his words and actions, indicated a “worship” of two Presidents, both of whom became engaged in controversial actions.

The 7th President, Andrew Jackson (1829-1837), was a clearcut racist who thought native Americans were subhuman, and defied the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Marshall, in the case of Worcester V Georgia (1832), that upheld Cherokee Indian rights to their ancestral lands in Georgia.

That 1832 case led Jackson to announce defiance of the Court, and state that John Marshall and the Supreme Court had made its decision, now let them enforce it!

The result was the forced removal of thousands of native Americans to Oklahoma, infamously known as “The Trial Of Tears”, between 1830 and 1838, after passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

About 15,000 native Americans were killed or died from disease during this forced removal, where about 60,000 native Americans, of five tribes—Creek, Choctaw, Chicasaw, Cherokee, and Seminole–were forced to “Indian land” in Oklahoma, which after a half century and discovery of oil, led to white settlement, taking away much of that territory from native Americans.

The 25th President, William McKinley (1897-1901), became infamous for having promoted the McKinley Tariff of 1890, making for very high tariffs on foreign goods, a factor in the worst economic downturn of the 19th century, the Panic of 1893, which was not overcome until the second year of the McKinley Presidency in 1898.

McKinley also is remembered for having promoted imperialism and expansion, including the gaining of Hawaii by joint resolution in 1898, and going to war with Spain, and gaining control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, and a “sphere of influence” over Cuba, giving the US an “Empire”, and new markets for industrial goods produced by corporations in their quest for new markets for their goods.

And the US fought a three year “guerrilla war” against the Philippines, who wanted independence after being liberated from Spanish control, but instead were forced to be a colony until after World War II in 1946, an event known as the “Filipino Insurrection”, mostly ignored in teaching of American history to students!

Trump is now pushing protective tariffs on all nations, and is now advocating American expansionism by considering retaking control of the Panama Canal; suggesting Canada become the 51st state; making clear his desire to gain control of Greenland from Denmark; and suggesting that the US take over the Gaza Strip in the Middle East and force removal of the 2 million Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan.

So Trump is guided by the worst policies of two of his predecessors in the White House–Andrew Jackson and William McKinley!

Asians Most Rapidly Increasing Ethnic Group In America, Transforming American Society!

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The final US Census Bureau figures show the fastest growing ethnic group in America are people of Asian ancestry, transforming American society.

That population grew by more than one third since 2010, the final figure being 35.5 percent!

This includes mainland Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Hawaii.

20 million people identify as Asians, and another 4 million identify as Asian mixed with another racial group. And a half percent identify as Pacific Islander or Hawaiian, or in combination with another racial group.

So 7.2 percent of the total American population now is in this category.

The most prominent Asian groups in numbers are as follows: India, China, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Native Hawaiian, Guam, and Samoa.

Donald Trump And The Republican Party Are “A Clear And Present Danger” To America’s Future!

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The worship and allegiance of most Republican Party officeholders to Donald Trump and the “Big Lie”, that Trump won the Presidential Election Of 2020, makes it clear that Trump and the party are “a clear and present danger” to America’s future.

As the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC makes clear, Trump and the Republican Party have become a Fascist party, with so many similarities to Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, Fascist Spain, Fascist Argentina, and a multitude of other Fascist dictatorships over the past century and still so now in Brazil, Hungary, Poland, the Philippines, and other dictatorships around the world!

The following characteristics make it clear that Trump and his party represent Fascism!

Powerful and continuing Nationalism
Disdain for Human Rights
Identification of Enemies as a Unifying Cause
Supremacy of the Military
Rampant Sexism
Controlled Mass Media
Obsession with National Security
Religion and Government Intertwined
Corporate Power Protected
Labor Power Suppressed
Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Fraudulent Elections

Laurence W, Britt came up with this listing at Free Inquiry website on SecularHumanism.0rg in 2003!

Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter And Human Rights Vs Ronald Reagan

Ronald 20 Comments

President Lyndon Johnson overcame his Southern past to promote the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 through Congress, because he knew it was the right thing to do in his time!

President Jimmy Carter took a strong stand on human rights in Haiti, the Philippines, South Africa and elsewhere when he was President, because he knew it was the right thing to do in his time!

On the other hand, Ronald Reagan did everything to work against advancement of civil rights in America and human rights overseas in his time, refusing to condemn the governments of Haiti, the Philippines, and South Africa!

Only when Haiti and the Philippines overthrew their governments in 1986 in revolution, did Reagan, belatedly, endorse the changes and say he was for human rights in those nations, only five years late, and only when the deed was done to overthrow both dictatorships!

And when Reagan had a chance to condemn apartheid in South Africa, he threatened to, and finally did veto, a resolution passed in Congress to start sanctions against that racist regime. The Congress went ahead and overrode the veto, the first time in the 20th century that Congress had overridden a President on a foreign policy matter, with many Republicans joining Democrats in overriding the veto. This is so well depicted in the fantastic film, THE BUTLER, one of the best films in many years to come from Hollywood about history and politics!

In the film, the actor portraying Reagan shows insensitivity to the main character, black actor Forest Whitaker, on this issue, but then asks, is he possibly wrong in his decision to veto? Forrest Whittaker does not answer, but the resounding answer is YES!

So despite the adulation of Ronald Reagan on the far RIGHT of the Republican Party and the conservative movement, Reagan is correctly depicted as NOT being an advocate of civil rights and human rights, and did not have the courage and foresight of Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter, who were principled men for good, unlike our 40th President!